Distribution and exhibition analyst Carole Boudreault, president of Alex Films, confirms a depressed Quebec box office for French and European movies in general in '97.

"Tenue correcte exigee (Alliance Vivafilm) did less than $100,000 while La belle verte (cfp) died completely, grossing less than $25,000," says Boudreault.

Returns for La belle verte were all the more disappointing in that the film was a follow-up to director Colline Serreau's very successful comedy La Crise, which did close to $800,000 at the Quebec box office.

Alex reports that La Jaguar (cfp) with Jean Renaud and Patrick Bruel did less than $100,000, while Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady, considered a non-studio movie, also died with a total take (for both French- and English-language versions) of under $120,000.

And while a number of European theatrical releases arrive here highly recommended, especially following their European festival premieres, Boudreault says it's important to remember good reviews and commercial success are two essentially separate issues.

"Most of the films which won the Palme d'Or in Cannes died everywhere," she adds.

Year in, year out, Boudreault says film reviewers invariably criticize the more "commercial" features entered in the Montreal World Film Festival's official competition. But she says the public more often than not sees "the critics' choice" as "boring."

"The public is the real judge," she says. "They are the ones who actually pay."

Ponette a pleasant surprise

In Quebec theaters in '97, Bernard Tavernier's Capitaine Conan (Compagnie France Film) took in less than $100,000 while Love, Etc. starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, grossed $60,000 with only a couple of prints in circulation.

The year's dark horse is perhaps the tenderhearted Jacques Doillon drama Ponette (France Film), which pulled in $170,000 with only a couple of repertory (Cinema Parallele) prints.

Of course there are hits, but they aren't necessarily accurate reflections of anyone's national cinema, other than the majors, bien sur.

A case in point, Luc Besson's La Cinquieme element, a French-financed studio style f/x blockbuster released by Columbia TriStar, grossed $2.3 million at the Quebec box office, including more than $1.6 million in the French market.

U.S. films nab 87% of Quebec box office

According to Alex Films data, French movies had 8% of the French-track market and 5% of the overall Quebec box office in 1996. Quebec films had 3% of the combined English and French market, while foreign films other than French titles ­ u.k., Italy, Germany, etc. ­ had 4% of the take. Movies from English Canada had about 1% of the overall take while u.s. films accounted for 84% of receipts in the French market and 87% of the total Quebec box office last year.

The difficulty in turning a profit with foreign fare is compounded by the fact that the distributor's share of the box office is typically 40% to 45% while release costs start at $15,000 for one or two prints and quickly rise to $50,000 and $75,000 when tv advertising is added.